account, by telling a court that he was involved in a crime at the very least either as an aider, abettor, or co-conspirator. that was really something for the government come out and say reporter by asking a source, asking a government employee for information was guilty of aiding, abetting, or cooks inspiring in an espionage when the actions against apn fox news in july, president obama ordered attorney general holder to review policies into the reportwork and was released to the president in july last year. while it offered provisions to make it more difficult for prosecutors and at least lead to greater notifications to journalist before their third-party records were subpoenaed, we knew at the same time that of course the department of justice was saying

they fully intended to subpoena reporters in the future if they really needed the evidence to prosecute a leaker. the apn fox news incidents prompt more congressional action on the shield bill and the bill was approved by the senate judiciary committee last september, almost a year ago now. though it still awaits senate action. houserrent makeup of the is not quite the same as it was in 2009, so we don't know what will happen there. the fight over the right to keep journalist ross sources confidential is literally older than the republic will stop a colonial printer refused to disclose the authors of attacks against the colonial governor of new york in 1734. thus was himself charged with seditious libel. a century later in 1848, news of the treaty of waterloo bay

hidalgo ending the mexican-american war was first reported to the american people after a news paper reporter from the "new york herald" was told of the still secret terms. he spent a month under house arrest in the capital. that, in 1896, john morris, a baltimore sun reporter, reported a number of elected officials and police reporters were taking payoffs from gambling houses all stop when he refused to name his source before a grand jury, he was imprisoned until the grand jury's expired. the significance of this case is this jailing prompted baltimore journalists to push for the than aren't heard of legislation that would protect them from having to reveal sources identities and courts, a reporters privilege, much like the spousal rutledge or doctor-patient privilege. the statute has been amended a few times come about the state has never felt the need to rescind the protection and in the century since then, we've

seen another 38 states and the district of columbia enact such shield laws will stop it is those shield laws that provide the real protections to journalists, as the right at the federal level is weaker than ever. thanks to the state efforts, we know shield laws work. to more than ever, it's time demand congress pass a meaningful shield law. theress must say that ability to account to the people comes from watchdogs, not just journalists, but whistleblowers as well. one of the greatest things those in power can do can connect -- is enact limits on their own power and congress much -- congress must take that step now. thank you. [applause] speaker is the outside counsel for the freedom of the press foundation. he's a professor at uc hastings

law school where he directs the liberty, security and technology clinic. his casework addresses constitutional issues that arise in -- that arise in espionage and counterterrorism prosecutors and. he was the lead counsel in the first criminal case to challenge bulk metadata collection by the nsa after the snowden disclosures. he currently represents journalist barrett brown. he formally taught at the national security clinic at the university of texas school of represented guantanamo date tds in their habeas corpus proceedings. -- guantánamo detainees in their habeas corpus proceedings. >> good afternoon. it is an honor to be here today, not only because i admire mr. eisen's journalism, but what rings is together transcends the freedom of the press foundation, it transcends the impressive

roster of supporters that have spoken and written in encouragement. it brings us together today -- what brings us together today is the first amendment of the constitution, specifically the portion of that amendment guaranteeing the freedom of the press without persecution or unnecessary prosecution. thomas jefferson once claimed a democracy cannot be both ignorant and free. the framers of the constitution believed if u.s. citizens failed to shareare information completely amongst themselves, they would be worse off than they had been as subjects of the british monarchy. end, we recognize freem is much the luxury, but a necessity. to allow a government to function and can tune you to exist, the people must be informed. it's a simple mantra for a great nation. the core of our free society is

public persona or front-page scoop is the crux of their profession -- that is newsgathering. the heart of our freedom and the freedom to publish the news is the freedom to gather the news. wrote in 1936land continuedcountry has to shed more light on the public in business affairs of the nation than any other ends to mentality of publicity. since informed public opinion is the most important of all restraint on this government, the abridgment of the publicity afforded by free press cannot be regarded otherwise without grave concern. it is with grave concern that we gather today to confront a real threat to our nation's security. notwho are we if we are secure in our ability to hold government accountable?

these freedoms are not without limitation. rison brokeear, mr. no law gathering the news, broke no law proliferating the news and publishing his articles and books will stop nor can the justice department make such claims. there is no law that mandates to suppress government approval about legally acquired information. there's no dispute such a rule unconstitutional as a restraint on speech and would transform this great country from being a democracy to becoming a totalitarian state. yet mr. rison behaved -- delayed publication for years out of an abundance of caution until it was clear to him the government's desire to censor him was not a matter of national security, rather it was a matter of national embarrassment. government does not seek to compel information from mr. rison to put an end to an existing thread to top -- to stop a terrorist attack or crime will stop the government seeks

information ordered to investigate an alleged leak that occurred years ago by someone else. quite frankly, i'm puzzled as to why the doj needs to use them to make their case or them. you would think with all the resources expended on federal law enforcement, the fate of our nation would not rise and fall at the feet of a 59-year-old reporter revealing his sources. and i'm sorry to give away your age. and investigating e-mails and credit reports of journalists, the government has made it clear that it does not fear the chilling effects of our free press -- to our free press and does not value the dogged investigative reporting that has contributed not only to our great democracy, led to the history of mankind. mr. rison and all journalists are faced with a choice -- either to practice a form of

journalism consistent with the first amendment and risk prison of journalismform theylease the information permit them to until only this fax the executive deems fit for public consumption. the path has chosen consistent with the first amendment and it's not likely many will follow in his footsteps. in the end, it is the american people that have paid and will continue to pay the price. thank you. [applause] >> our next beaker is jesse lynn radek, director of the national security and human rights program at the government accountable the project. it is the nations leading whistleblower organization and the program that focuses on secrecy, surveillance, torture and discrimination.

she has been at the forefront of defending against the government's unprecedented war on whistleblowers which of course has hit journalists very hard. among her clients, she represents seven national security and intelligence member employees who have investigated or been charged under the act for allegedly mishandling classified information, including edward snowden, thomas drake and john. she worked at the justice department for seven years for first as a trial attorney and as a legal ethics advisor. jesse lynn radek. [applause] >> good afternoon. anyone who doubts that the war on whistleblowers is a back or were on journalists should study

the case of jim rison. threats to reporters are the undercurrent in the obama administration's record-setting espionage act prosecutions of the so-called leakers. one example where the press is implicated is when the justice department subpoenaed associated reporters phone records impacting over 100 different journalists. of another whistleblower, stephen kim, the justice department got a search byrant on the reporter claiming he was a co-conspirator. my client edward snowden, the administration has made noises about reporter glenn greenwald being an eight or and a better. aider and abettor.

it should be no surprise that threats against risen come from espionage act prosecution of another whistleblower. jeff sterling. 's honorable commitment to protect the source that revealed the disastrous government operation gone wrong. whistleblowers need the press. there are no safe and effective internal channels foremost national security and intelligence whistleblowers will stop channels that do exist often turn whistleblowers into targets of retaliation and rarely correct the underlying wrongdoing, especially when the wrongdoing is perpetrated by senior levels of the u.s. government. the press, i would submit, also needs whistleblowers. journalists depend on whistleblowers to report

critical information in the publicanswers -- interest. without whistleblowers, journalists would struggle to impact -- to pack government or corporate spin without documentary evidence. as a whistleblower attorney, small but essential handful of reporters i feel confident will accurately report information and protect their sources. if he was jailed or forced to pay a fine, the pool reporters who know whistle blowers are essential for accurate porting to become even smaller. are aneats to jim risen attack on the entire first amendment, perdomo really the right to a free press, but also the right to speak and associate with whistleblowers and reporters. government surveillance of

reporters subpoenaing of reporters to testify against their own sources and threatening them with contempt of court create a freezing atmosphere where neither whistleblowers nor reporters are safe to hold the government accountable and keep the public informed. committing journalism is not a crime. is is aon that it dangerous trend we should deprive of oxygen. governmentthe dropped the subpoena against risen immediately. thank you. [applause] >> our next speaker, courtney raj, is a journalist and free expression advocate who writes and speaks often on the intersection of media, technology and human rights within interest in particular on

the middle east. or is currently the advocacy are at the committee to protec'g the right to report campaign aimed at ending surveillance and harassment of journalists will stop prior to joining, she was at unesco where she coordinated the freedom of expression section strategy in the arab region. managed theviously global freedom of expression campaign at freedom house and has worked for the daily star in lebanon and the new york times. [applause] >> thank you. turnommittee to protect west is seriously concerned about the actions taken by the department of justice and the ongoing efforts to subpoena jim which could have a chilling effect on the u.s. media and journalists, if it has not already had that impact. in 1981 by aunded

group of u.s. correspondents who realized they could not ignore the plight of colleagues of rod who's reporting put them at risk on a daily basis. since then, they have defended the rights of journalists to report the news without fear of reprisal. last year, we decided the crackdown on leak investigations and revelations about the x ends of surveillance in a post 9/11 world necessitated us to look inward and way and on the threats to press freedom in the united states. that's why we are here today. former colleague at the "new york times, i'm happy to be here in solidarity with his efforts to protect his confidential sources and the integrity of the journalistic practices. the obama administration has pursued a prosecutions of leakers under the espionage act, more than twice the total numbers of such prosecutions

since the law was enacted. than any other administration all combined. the subpoena requiring jim's testimony is part of the broader crack down on leaks and whistleblowers. a special report for bush last the obamaoncluded administration's aggressive prosecution of leakers of classified information, revelations about broad surveillance programs, and moves to stem the routine disclosure of information to the press shows the president has fallen far short of his campaign promise to have the most open government and u.s. history. several journalists interviewed leakhe report told see pj investigations and surveillance revelations made big government careful and prosecutions such of those of jim have had a profoundly detrimental impact on the process of journalism and the first amendment.

publicly speculating about bringing charges of espionage or prosecutions more generally of journalists for doing their job serves to intimidate not only the individual journalist, but journalists more broadly. it has a serious chilling effect on the press. this is likely to be stronger among journalists who do not have the backing of protection of a major media organization with legal resources. revelations about targeted surveillance and hacking of journalists is also deeply problematic. you heard those described earlier. having read jim's affidavit complaining why he can't fight and detailing the extent of government harassment and surveillance of electronic communication, it is clear if he is forced to testify, he would likely put at risk the confidentiality of his source of the furthermore, these type of aggressive prosecutions send a dangerous signal to governments elsewhere that would seek to use

national security and antistate charges as a cover for clamping down on journalists and press freedom. according to our research, nearly 60% of imprisoned journalists worldwide are imprisoned on antistate charges such as subversion or terrorism will stop that is far higher than any other charge like defamation or insult and it is a favorite of oppressive regimes who see little value in a free press. furthermore, undermining the principle of force protection and the idea that journalists like doctors and others have the right to keep sources confidential has implications for the robust practice of journalism. in 2012, the justice department argued reporters privilege should not apply in national security cases and compare journalists to someone receiving drugs from a dealer. preventing journalists from promising confidentiality to

their sources undermines the key aspect of journalism central to so much reporting on issues central to the public interest like national security, like antiterrorism, and are central to holding government accountable and to the democratic process. the u.s. government's ongoing pursuit of jim sends a terrifying message to the 124 journalists jailed worldwide on antistate charges and detracts from its normative moral power abroad. statest think the united wants to join cuba in becoming the only other country in the western hemisphere to have an imprisoned journalists. -- that ist it risk what is at risk here. it's harder for the u.s. to be taken seriously when it advocates for press read my journalistic rights abroad when they are abridged at home. governments have many obligations -- to enforce the law, to protect citizens and prevent attacks.

but they also have an obligation to uphold the constitution and uphold democratic principles upon which this society is built and to ensure the functioning of the democratic rosses in which they press plays a central role. the committee to protect journalists called on the hartman estate to withdraw its subpoena seeking to force to givests james risen testimony that would reveal a confidential source. [applause] >> our next speaker has worked as the director of the washington office for reporters without orders and 2011. she runs and u.s. activities for the program and advocates for journalists, bloggers and media rights worldwide. acting as reporters without borders spokesperson in the u.s., she appears regularly in american and overseas media and

lectures at conferences that u.s. universities about press freedom violation issues. she previously served as at -- a in charge of outrage at the french embassy in the united states and worked as an economics correspondent for a range of french media focusing on international politics and macroeconomic issues. [applause] you norman and thank you for all the work you did to this campaign together. and thank you to all of you for being here today. i will be short as a lot has already been said and i am looking forward to hearing jeff risen. at the 46thtates is position in the reporters without borders 2014 press

freedom index will stop the war have freedom index we published every year since 2002 measures the level of freedom of information in 180 countries and reflects the degree of freedom journalists, news organizations and bloggers enjoy in each country. one explanation for the united states to be ranked at the 46th position is the whistleblower is the money. eight whistleblowers have been charged since barack obama took office in 2009, which is the highest number under any previous administration combined. there is no true freedom of information, no true freedom of the press without protection of journalists sources. leaks are the lifeblood of investigative journalists. given that nearly all information related to national , it isy is classified

safe to say this crackdown against whistleblowers is designed to restrict all but officially approved versions of events. need for aghts the comprehensive federal shield law in the u.s. which could protect journalists sources at the federal level. the project supported by the obama administration [indiscernible] 2013 will remain the year of the associated rest scandal which came to light when the department of justice said that it received the agency news report will stop 2013 will be remembered as the year where we saw a man condemned to 35 years in prison. it will also be remembered for the revelation of edward snowden, who exposed the nsa.

remembered ase the year when jeff risen was sent to jail for doing his job? i hope not. reporters without borders is deeply worried by the continuing stance taken by the department of justice to force james risen to testify against his confidential source. reporters without borders calls on the department of justice to halt all legal action against james risen. reporters without borders is largest press freedom organization in the world with almost 30 years of experience will stop thanks to its unique global network of 150 correspondence investigating and 130 countries, 12 national a status at the u.n. and unesco, reporters without borders is able to have a global defending news

providers around the world. defendwe are here to james rison and defend the first freedom of these press is the most important freedom. it's the freedom to verify the existence of all freedom. enqueue. [applause] mention this news conference is being hosted and cohosted by the institute for public accuracy. there are more than a dozen organizations with logos on the petition online. groups --ellation of you can get in touch with them .nd look at that our next speaker pioneered the audience participation talk format on television as host of

the donahue show for 29 years will stop phil donahue has 20 emmy awards, nine as host and 11 for the show, as well as the peabody award as well as the president toward from the national women's political caucus and the media person of the year award from the gay and lesbian alliance. he has done a lot over the decades of groundbreaking interviews with world leaders and newsmakers. there is so much to say and i will be very brief -- ira member as millions of people do how in 1985, he introduced the satellite rich telecast between the united states and the soviet of a lot of midst very cold part of the cold war and then brought his talkshow to russia for a week of television broadcast. phil donahue was the first western journalist to visit chernobyl after the nuclear

power accident there will stop in 2006, phil coproduced and codirected a documentary, "audio for" the very powerful journalistic and cinematic focus on one young iraq war veteran left in a wheelchair by enemy process ofe parallel machinations on capitol hill. phil donahue. [applause] >> thank you and congratulations for assembling this very important event. i was a journalist. i was a journalist first four w a b j in adrian, michigan, the river beal hundred 50 watt radio station. happened tohatever w a b j, so i googled w a b j and there was. the washington association of lack journalists all stop w a bj

is gone now, but it's a place where i learned a lot about journalism. i was 21 years old. i must have looked 12. i had a tape recorder with literally vacuum tubes and i could stop the mayor in his tracks. i covered city hall, i covered my first murder, i played ball with the cops so i would cultivate my sources, and i began to really understand what a noble pursuit journalism is. clubere i am at the press with a lot of the people -- if they were all men, they would be the sons my mother wanted to have. i am very flattered to have norman ask me to make an introduction of james. i have monitored my talk show

meter now, which he is saying all right, get off. but i asked the patients of the good people at the press club for this one observation. every major metropolitan newspaper in this country supported the invasion of iraq. strobel, andwarren jonathan when they are exceptions, but their own papers -- many of their own papers did not publish their work will stop they said where's the evidence? wmd, where? this is what you get with corporate media. in adrian,a reporter michigan, i did not have to take a test. i just said i was a reporter and i was all stop i did not have 2 p.m. the bottle. all you had to do was get out there. the way you have more

people getting the news and it's more likely that somewhere in the collective victual of this large crowd will be found the truth. today, the collective middle is occupied by five multinational companies, much more interested in the price of their stock than they are in funding investigative journalists, who by the way are not necessarily cost-effective as we know. investigative journalism can lead you down a rabbit hole with nothing to publish when you are finished. has makes what james risen done all the more important. when the mainstream media has a lot on its mind and a lot to be ashamed of, the president said during the iraq old up to me can take pictures of the coffins and the whole media establishment said ok. we are not fighting back. if we ever need to i back, it now with the bill of rights

eating eroded and the fundamental values of our founders, no hay bs, we have people in cages teen years, no nothing, no phone calls him and no red cross. laugh. -- don't make me the american people are standing mute. how much bite embarq have we heard from our media as the bill of rights and the fundamentals of this nation are eroding before our very eyes. into this environment comes james risen. we think we should put him on a pedestal and apparently the president believes he should be put in jail. what is wrong with this picture? it is for that reason we assemble here today, hoping the

20 looked prizewinners who have lent their names to this will be joined by thousands and thousands of other americans who thousands andsent thousands of people to die for the privilege of the first amendment and the right of a free press. james risen is one of those people who doesn't want it to die as people in power who don't want to be embarrassed and begin to listen on your phone or mine. is the time for more of the kind of journalism james risen is doing. and it's that reason i have this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to present to you a great american, a patriot, james risen . [applause]

>> i don't know if i can live up to that. i have to think about that for a minute. i just came here really today to thank everybody involved with this. i was not involved with this petition drive at all and anybody who knows me knows i couldn't organize a one caller -- one car funeral. the fact that this is happened leaves me speechless. the main thing that gets to me is i don't deserve all this. know it's about some basic issues that affect all journalists and all americans. there are a couple of things i is that theone

justice department and the obama ones whoation are the turned this into a fundamental fight over press freedom. in their appeal to the fourth circuit, they said this case, the central issue in this case was not some details or specifics. the fundamental thing this case was about was there was no such thing as reporters privilege. reefu read the governments in the fourth circuit appeal, it's what they say -- there's no such thing as a reporters privilege. so they turned this case into a showdown over the first freedom of the press in the united states.

i am happy to carry on that fight, but it wasn't me who really started it. this has been a long case -- i got subpoenaed in 2008 first, withhat i can say now is all of these people showing their support, i'm willing to knowfighting because now i i have just and enormous group of people supporting me. of the things i would like to say is the real reason i am doing this is for the future of journalism. my oldest son, tom, standing right there is a journalist. the same make sure protections i have had in my career are there for the future reporters in america.

there is no way we could do our jobs if we don't have the aggressivehave investigative reporting in america and have the ability to maintain confidential sources. conduct just no way to aggressive investigative a reportersthout privilege of some kind, without confidential sources. you can haveve democracy without aggressive investigative reporting and freedom of the press. so i just wanted to come here again and say thank you to everyone. it is really amazing. enqueue. -- thank you. [applause] >> [inaudible]

>> i did not want to answer questions but it has obviously had an effect will stop i try to keep working. i'm just trying to do what i can. thanks. [applause] >> we have a bit of time for q&a. because this is being streamed live, i would like to ask people go to the mike there which is live will stop if there are any questions, please keep them brief and identify yourself and news organization. i think i see a little movement in this direction. are there any questions? >> i'm reporting with take part media. i know you don't want to ask lessons but we are here to defend press freedom.

nonow a attorney holder says reporter is going to jail for doing his job, can you speak to the specifics of how the case is going to play out from now on? are there no options to appeal? >> just a brief answer -- mr. holder has had -- has said no reporter will go to prison for doing his job. evil -- the alternate i'm talking to a room full of reporters and if i tell you doing your job will result in

bankruptcy, will you continue doing your job? it's that simple. >> stephen nelson from u.s. news. president obama just gave a press statement less than an hour ago but the missouri protests. he said police there should not be a leading or arresting reporters who are doing their jobs. i would like your opinion on whether you welcome this or whether the president should take his own advice here? >> one thing i meant to say was i want to express my report -- my support for the reporters who were arrested and detained in ferguson. central question we are all facing now is how is first

amendment and the freedom of the press to -- freedom of the press survive in a post 9/11 age? tall part of the same issue. >> i would like to ask someone on the panel -- i know you mentioned the trend away from democracy and toward an authoritarian form of government. other speakers brought up cases where the administration's or whoever is sitting in the executive office a sickly gets to determine the narrative of auth and whoever brings up counter narrative is either published, or other things happen. if you or perhaps someone else on the panel could address this

trend, also that it is happening more and more under president barack obama -- bush was criticized so much from the left and now it is happening under a democrat as a president. where is this trend going? >> i think with this case illustrates are some threats to press freedom, but i think it's important to put that into a global context. there are many countries, including russia, that have far worse press room records and were journalists are imprisoned or killed and their murderers are never investigated. in most cases of journalist murders, nine out of 10 are never investigated and we has several outstanding in russia as well. so we do have to keep this in perspective. there are threats to the free

practice of journalism and luckily we live in a country that has rule of law and due process. in any countries, those things are missing, so let's keep this in perspective and not let this become an excuse for authoritarian governments to use in their crackdown on fresh -- on press freedom. factr should we let the that authoritarian regimes exist give us an excuse to browbeat journalists that are doing their jobs will stop the core of the issue is the expansive national security state. one can make an argument that in the name of national security, by can censor speech classifying certain information and so on. the number of classified documents has increased exponentially since 9/11 and that has turned into something where information that

is embarrassing to the government becomes classified. asnow this in my experience an attorney representing guantánamo detainees and later representing criminal suspects in the united states. had you asked me five or seven years ago if i thought my expertise in national security or in guantánamo would make me suitable or be the value added to joining a case where i represented journalist -- just think about that. i get calls from journalists that want me to represent them because i represented guantánamo prisoners. that is perspective. [laughter] another question for james -- i know you don't want to take a more questions, but could you talk about the harassment you faced under the

bush administration for your national security reporting and the fact that this subpoena was dropped by the bush administration and has been renewed under the obama administration. >> you are going to get me in trouble with my lawyers. first of all, the subpoena was not dropped under the bush administration. expired in 2009. it was after the bush administration left and then it was renewed by the obama administration, old series of subpoenas. them,affidavit, in one of i think i filed several of them -- i talked about the harassment i got during the bush administration, so that is

public in the court documents. i describe all of the efforts, both public and some private efforts by the administration to in my view harassment he and -- harass me and try to have a chilling effect on reporting i was doing. if you remember, if you were around in 2005 426, there was a lot in the press about that will stop -- it depressed about that. a lot of pressure against me and my colleague at the "new york times." it got >> i and tents will stop

wonder how hopeful are you this collective effort will make a what would follow and a sideline question -- is this an opportunity to push back against a federal shield law? >> i will address the first part of that. the008, obama delegates at democratic national convention say the democratic party has given hope a bad name in the past years. your question about how hopeful i am, i have some trepidation to directly answer. i do think this is an inherently political case being pursued by this administration. if you go toce roots action.org, you can read all the statements.

20 were issued this week by pulitzer prize winners. one of those journalists flat out said something i think is true -- this is a vendetta , and if yous risen read the book from the former head of the legal department the cia that came out this year, "company man" he makes clear there has been a lot of hostility towards james risen at the cia for a while. he is the most vilified journalist in the entire book for 30 years. that to me indicates the political nature of this entire effort by the justice department . i think we generally have is continued momentum of what we have seen in recent weeks to ring this issue to public

spotlight and create more of a groundswell of public pressure. anybody have comments on the other aspects you mark -- aspects? one thing i see from these kinds of actions is that first of all if you look at it, there is a political washington and there's a career washington. it is really career washington, the f e i, the nsa people who do these investigations and want to stop leaks in the first place. 9/11, they have had more and more power to track that information. to give thenot obama administration and he toaks here, but it's going get worse no matter who is in charge politically. the best and maybe only antidote to that is a groundswell of public support. that says we're not going to stand for this anymore.

that's why petitions like this are so important. that's also hopefully going to lead to a federal shield law. in the states, we often see shield laws enacted when there's a state controversy. this is the kind of thing that will prompt action and i hope it is enough along with the popular outpouring in favor of it to get something done in congress. you.had a follow-up for about thealking shield laws being discussed in to house -- with those apply the ones like james risen?

>> it's all in the wording, but we think it is finessed enough to save the exemption for national security cases is going to come into play when there is an ongoing threat to national with there isjust an effort to examine something in the past all stop obviously the wording can change day to day it goes through every step of congress, but that's a critical thing. e-government will always want the ability to investigate acidents where there truly is meaningful threat to the national security and we are never going to win that one. it makes sense if there's literally a bomb that's going to go off, they want to investigate everything they can. as long as that limit is in there and we can keep it, it can be meaningful and i think it can help in cases like this. >> i'm not a journalist, have a follow-up question. i'm a law student at stanford

and i'm doing a phd there. i worked with trevor at freedom of the press and am curious if you can talk or about how the shield bill would protect journalists like mr. risen. i know he spoke at a conference and said he did not think he would the protected under the bill as it is currently written. i think the language you are pointing to, in the senate version, there's language about preventing or mitigating future attacks and the idea of preventing or mitigating doesn't seem to have a future tense to it. seems likelytack to be focused on any sort of ongoing terrorist activity so anything could be covered under the exception will stop -- under the exception. i wonder if you can help me see the bill you see it. the way i see it, everyone is going to fall through the loophole, so the way it is written now it might do more harm than good.

aside from the shield bill, are there other solutions you might be able to put forward that might be equally useful to help address the kind of situation we are seeing here? >> the thing i would point out is everything we hope for is an incremental change. ticket that'slden going to solve everything. you can't ask the government to solve everything. it has to be reporters continuing to do great work and having the public stand up for that. mind, we never felt the shield law was perfect. we feel it's an incremental change. we never felt the national security exception should be as broad as the senate wanted to be, but you fight over every little word and hope to get something that will put the brakes on most investigations. mitigating harm from a terrorist attack, if that is the only exception that is going to stop

a lot of the subpoenas we have talked about, a lot of the whistleblower investigations we have talked about even today or what we name all the ones the obama administration is looking into, it is not a cure-all. there is no perfect way to get all of this done all stop but every little thing helps -- getting the department of justice to have a better policy about what they will do before it issues a subpoena is a big step. the assistant u.s. attorney out there who now knows he has to jump through a lot of hoops and ask for permission from washington and directly from the attorney general will hesitate much more often than and ausa you can subpoena anybody. none of it isnd perfect is the best i can say. we never thought the shield law -- thefect will stop

was perfect. >> i think we have time for one more question. >> this is not about your work but it's about the effect of the last six years on your sources. are they still motivated or even more motivated and what new guarantees do they ask? what has changed in their way of coming out with the information in the sector of national security? >> you don't really think i'm going to answer that, do you? [laughter] i'm not going to answer it. thanks. [laughter] answer, ative you an

least as someone who is representing the sources in a lot of this. i've mentioned there are i can count on two hands the number of journalists i actually feel safe taking a whistleblower to in this country because of the climate. .ne of them is jim risen it's a very strict test to ask someone if they would be willing to go to jail to protect source -- protect a source. a whistleblowers have to face that test every day -- are you willing to go to jail to blow the whistle and tell the truth and reveal fraud, waste, abuse and illegality? are you the one willing to be put in jail or exiled from your country and rendered stateless? thata huge price to pay both whistleblowers and journalists are taking to get this information out to the public interest, and we need your support on whistleblower protection bills out surveillance reform bills, and

reporter shield bills. i know in the whistleblower protection legislation the national security exemption loophole swallows everything because i could believe linked this glass of water to national security if you give me five it's. i hope that helps answer. >> can i make two quick points? thatjust want to add to the community to protect journalists put out a report last year that includes dozens of interviews with journalists about the impact of these issues on their reporting. isis on our website, but it essentially a broad overview that says we have had an impact on sources going -- not only whistleblowers but sources and general and the society of professional journalists recently sent a letter about new rules that have come out from the demonstration in various departments of the government prohibiting basic contact with

journalists. the insider threat row graham and things like this that see pj and others have signed on to in opposition. generalcross the board functionaries and subject experts that this is having an impact on reporters being able to speak to their sources. note, i want to mention as we adjourn, the news conference -- we do have this room for another hour for one-on-one interviews and discussions, so you don't have to rush off, but i want to thank everybody for being here. [applause] beforest want to add everyone leaves -- i'm president of the newspaper guild and we did award the herb block freedom yesterday,mes risen which we hope you will receive in october. it's not enough to commit

journalism, you have to act to protect him and that is why we was ajames risen, and it knight ridder bureau in the lead up, not mcclatchy. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] an hour, the

association of black journalists on the relationship between the government and the news media. executive editor dean decade talks about how his newspaper responds when the government asks it to hold off on publishing a story. here's a preview. >> it used to be, the government would say, if you publish the story, it violates national security and somebody will get killed. that is not good enough for me. i want tohear who, hear the specifics. i don't mean to tell me how they are going to get killed -- tell me what you mean. you can't be vague. -- inan someone into ron tehran? tell me how. i always demand that a request to hold something back comes from somebody very high in the government. if the press person asks, i

won't even take the call. it has got to come from somebody in the white house, the head of nsa, it ahead of the can't come from a press person. usually, when they say that -- half of all requests go away. they are not quite willing to ratcheted up that high. they have to go a very specific proof. i would say, still, most of the time we go with the story. -- are theredy stories we have held over the years? stories that met that standard? yes. more from the conference of the national association of black journalists tonight at 8:00 eastern. there's and festivals. -- fairs and festivals. some of the

highlights from this weekend. i history to were looking at the civil war. saturday, the communicators. the technology fair on capitol hill. sunday, political commentator and former presidential candidate pat buchanan. hillary clinton, barack obama, and edward snowden. the weekly standard's daniel halper. and rhetorical toward the literary sites of wyoming. night, the kansas city monarchs. saturday, the depiction of slavery in movies. and sunday, real america at 4:00 p.m. let us know what you think about the programs you are watching. us or call us. join the c-span conversation,

like us on facebook, follow us on twitter. read --is a great a collection of stories from some of the most influential people. decidedw this list -- id to take it because, whether it , itn illusion or not held my concentration. it stopped me being bored. stop other people being boring. that would keep me awake. it may be enhanced the moment. if i was asked what i would do it again -- the officers probably yes -- answer is proba bly yes. it soundse to say -- a responsible if i said i would do it all again, but the truth

is it would be hypocritical of me to say no. i did know. >> soviet union and the soviet system in eastern europe contained the seeds of its own destruction. many of the problems we saw at the end begin at the very beginning. i spoke about the attempt to control all institutions and control all parts of the economy and political life and social life. the only problem is when you do that, when you try to control everything, you create opposition and potential dissidents everywhere. if you tell all artists they have to pay the same way and one have justs not, you made him into a political dissident. if you want to subsidize housing, and you want to talk about it and the populace agrees that is something we should focus on, put it on the balance sheet and make it clear into make it evident. make everybody aware of how much

it is costing. but when you deliver it through these third-party enterprises, when you deliver the subsidies through private shareholders and executives who can extract a lot of that subsidies for themselves , that is not a very good way of subsidizing homeownership. >> christopher hitchens and gretchen mortenson are a few of the 41 stories. now available at your favorite bookstore. >> missouri governor announced the missouri state highway patrol will take over security and ferguson, missouri, where a police officer shot an unarmed black teenager over the weekend. responsespolice said rubberests with bullets. police also arrested journalists. you can see the press conference in about 10 minutes here on c-span.

democraticsouri, senator met with tv reporters. she tweeted this photo the sender. -- the senator. president obama spoke about the situation and ferguson. inwas in martha's vineyard massachusetts where he is vacationing with his family. he began his remarks about u.s. airstrikes and humanitarian assistance any rack -- in iraq. >> good afternoon, everybody. i would like to update the american people on two issues. all, we continue to make progress in carrying out a targeted military operation any rack -- in iraq. i authorized to missions and theg our people

humanitarian operation to help save thousands of iraqi civilians stranded on a mountain. a week ago we assessed that many of thousands yazidi men women and children had abandoned their positions to take refuge on mount sinjar in an effort to avoid slaughter. we knew terrorists were killing and enslaving them, laying siege to the mountain. without food or water, they face a terrible choice. star on the mountain or be slaughtered on the ground. that is when america came to help. over the last week, we conducted drops every aird night, delivering more than 14,000 meals and 35,000 gallons of fresh water. we were joined in that effort by the united kingdom and other allies. our military was able to successfully strike targets around the mountain, which

improved conditions for civilians to evacuate. yesterday, a small team of reviewns completed their of the conditions on the mountain. they found that food and water was reaching those in need and thousands of people have been evacuated safely each and every night. the civilians who remain continue to leave, aided by kurdish forces. line is that the situation on the mountain has greatly improved and americans should be very proud of our efforts. professionalism of our military and the generosity isilur people -- the seizure amounts and jar -- mount sinjar. we helped save many innocent lives. we do not expect there to be an additional operation to evacuate people off the mountain. it is unlikely that we will need

to continue humanitarian airdrops on the mountain. the majority of the military personnel will be leaving iraq in the coming days. commander-in-chief, i could not be prouder of the men and women of our military who carried out this humanitarian operation, almost flawlessly. i am very grateful to them and i know that those who are trapped on the mountain are extraordinarily grateful. the situation remains dire for sil's subjected to i terror. it includes christians and sunnis, she has and kurds -- shias and kurds. we will be working to provide humanitarian assistance for those suffering in iraq wherever we have capabilities. committing combat troops

on the ground. we obviously feel a great urge to provide some humanitarian relief to the situation, and have been encouraged by our international partners in helping on these kinds of efforts. airstrikes toue protect our people and facilities any rack -- in iraq. assistance tosed forces fighting on the frontlines. perhaps most important way, we are urging iraqis to come together and to turn the tide , seizing the enormous opportunity of forming an inclusive government under the leadership. i had a chance to speak to the prime minister a few weeks ago. for the about the need kind of inclusive government, a government that speaks to all the people of the rack that is needed right now.

helpful --stly hopeful that the situation is moving in the right direction. i want to address something that has been in the news over the last couple days, and ferguson, missouri. many americans have been deeply disturbed by the images we have seen as police have clashed with people protesting. today i would like us all to take a step back and think about how we are going to be moving forward. i received a thorough update on the situation from the attorney general who has been following into been in communication with his team. i have already tasked to the department of justice and the fbi to investigate the death of michael brown along with local officials on the ground. the department of justice's consulting local authorities about ways they can maintain public safety without disturbing

the right of peaceful protest and avoiding unnecessary escalation. i made clear that we should do what is necessary to determine what happened and to see that justice is done. i also spoke with governor jay nixon of missouri. thepressed my concern over violent turn that events have taken on the ground and underscored that it is time for all of us to reflect on what has happened. he is going to be traveling to ferguson. he is a good man and a fine governor. i am confident that he is going to be able to communicate his desire to make sure that justice is done, and his desire to make sure that public safety is maintained in an appropriate way. it is important to remember why this started. he lost a young man, michael brown. in a heartbreaking and tragic circumstance.

he was 18 years old. his family will never hold michael in their arms again. when something like this happens, the local authorities have a responsibility to be open and transparent about how they are investigating that death and how they are protecting people in their communities. there is never an excuse for filings against police, or for those who would use this tragedy as a cover for vandalism or losing. -- looting. usee is also no excuse excessive force against peaceful protest or to throw protesters in jail for lawfully exercising their first amendment rights. bullying ord not be arresting journalists who are trying to do their jobs, and report to the american people about what they see. we all need to hold ourselves to a high standard, particularly those of us in positions of authority. i know that emotions are raw and

ferguson, andn there are passionate inferences about what has happened, different accounts of how this tragedy occurred. there will be differences in terms of what needs to happen going forward. that onemember american family -- we are united in common values, and that includes belief in equality under the law, a basic respect for public order, and the rights to peaceful public protest, a reverence for the dignity of every single man, woman, and child, and the need for accountability when it comes to our government. now is the time for healing. now is the time for peace and calm on the streets of ferguson. now is the time for an open and transparent progress to see that justice is done. i have asked that the attorney general continue to work with local officials to move that

process forward. they will be reporting to me in the coming days about what is being done to make sure that happens. x very much, everybody -- thanks very much, everybody. house speaker john boehner issued a statement today about the shooting of michael brown and the protest in ferguson, missouri. a statement from house minority boehner nancy pelosi --

missouri governor jay nixon announced that the missouri state highway patrol will take over security in ferguson. he made this announcement today at a press conference. the governor was joined by the state county executives and a captain with the missouri state highway patrol. this comes to us courtesy of ktv-itv in st. louis. >> good afternoon. the local officials who are with us today -- we deeply appreciate the stress and activities you are under, and also want to thank our friends at the university of missouri st. louis. always deeply involved in the community and willing to assist

us in any way shape or form. thank you for the excellent leadership. i want to thank everybody for joining us. let me go through what we have done today. this morning i was briefed by state public safety officials on the events of yesterday evening and morning. i spoke this morning with president obama, who conveyed his concerns about the situation and appreciation for our -- i met with civic leaders and took a moment to visit the scene. earlier this week, a young man not much younger than my own sons lost his life. the opportunity to speak with and hear from members of the neighborhood that is directly affected by the events. they told me they want a community that is healthy and happy. they want their streets to be free from intimidation and fear. , and tot peace, truth be treated with respect.

my message to the people of ferguson is that these have going heard -- have been heard. the pain of last weekends tragedy has been compounded by their grief. what has gone on here in the last few days is not what missouri is about. this is a place where people work, go to school, raise their families, and go to church. mores looked a little bit like a war zone and that is unacceptable. to change that course we will all need to join hands to rebuild the trust that has been lost and to help this community regain its confidence. the eyes of the nation are on us. in order for that import ant process to begin we need to address immediate challenges. i am announcing that the highway patrol under the supervision of captain ron johnson will be the directing -- will be directing the team. what i am announcing today does not affect the responsibility of those who are involved in the

investigation, and i would once again like to thank john holder attention to it.in i would like to thank local law enforcement officials who have been working hard. while that investigation continues, the immediate security responsibilities will not be addressed -- who have proven themselves time again. i want to thank the hard-working members of the local and regional police departments who have and will continue to work with the highway patrol. i want to thank those officers who have been working double shifts, who have been out there andhe cutting edge, working putting themselves out there. i appreciate the work that they have done. thee are words and deeds, cornerstone on which to build our shared future. i know that ferguson will not be defined as a community torn apart by violence. it will be known as a community that pulled together to overcome it. you renew our commitment to ring

piece to ferguson. we commit to our mutual responsibility of assuring the safety and security of our communities and making sure that justice and respect are the leaders. we embrace our shared obligation as citizens and express our grief in a peaceful manner, to avoid our -- we must pledge again to build up this community for the better angels of our nature. we will now hear from a couple of folks and i will take questions. first i want to introduce captain ron johnson. johnson. >> i appreciate this responsibility and the fact that this community in the nation are looking for leadership to protect and serve their citizens. i grew up here and this is my community and my home.

personallylot to me that we break this cycle of violence and build trust, showing the utmost respect for every interaction with every citizen. moving forward, i am confident that the patrol here in ferguson will do just that. i do, howstand, as important is that ferguson has confidence in law enforcement, and understands that we are here to serve them. i understand that the anger and fear the citizens of ferguson are feeling, and our police officers will respect both of those. thank you. >> the two chief executives of this region, i appreciate their cooperation and support. let me first ask the county executives, charlie dooley. >> good afternoon.

i come to you this afternoon with a very heavy heart. what we have seen in these past few days has been a tragedy. family, ithael brown has been a tragedy. they have lost a son. in st. louis county, the world is looking at us and how we treat our own. is this freedom of assembly? we support freedom of assembly. but what we do not support his disobedience for the law-abiding people of st. louis county. i have been saddened by what i have seen these past few days. come to this

community not for the right purposes. i am for justice, i am not for revenge. i am for what is right, making it right. large -- we have a large job ahead of us, bringing this community together. it is not going to be a simple thing. too many questions that have not been answered. people need to know -- to have closure. be protected, to are they going to feel safe in their communities -- more importantly, as we move forward come togetherity to work as a unit? neither one can get their by themselves. we need each of them to participate in this process. i want to thank the governor and

, recognizing that we need all the resources that we can possibly get to make this happen, to improve the process. i want to thank my good friend for being with us, and captain johnson. it will take all of our agencies to make this situation better. it is going to take all of us. it is going to take the people in the communities, the compound, stands, and let's be reasonable. let's have a conversation about what is happening. how do we perceive ourselves? how does the world look at us as a community? this ought not to be a black-and-white thing. this ought not to be a disrespectful thing to the citizens of our community. we can do better than this.

i am confident that as we go forward, we are going to make a difference. one of the things i pledge to you -- i will appoint a blue-ribbon committee to report to me and look at what are we doing, how we are doing it -- peoplee importantly, get in the community involved in this process. they need to feel that they are part of it. they need to feel that they are a part of this decision. the only way you can do that is with being open. i pledge in a few coming weeks that we will get a blue ribbon tomittee from both sides, get together and talk about what are our expectations, and how we are doing. get a regular update on the community. we have nothing to hide. it is transparent.

we want the media to be involved in this process as well. what is going on, why are we doing certain things, what the outcome is. i look forward to this communication. i look forward to this resource is coming together. even more importantly, i believe that we can make a difference. people expect us, in st. louis county, to make their lives safe, their businesses safe, their families safe. they have a right to that. that is our job, and we are going to do it. in closing, i am committed to this process. our team is committed to this process. our agencies are committed to this process. the needs of the people of st. louis county -- they need to be committed.

this is our community. the world is looking at us across this world. how we represent ourselves speaks volumes to our young people. they are our next leaders. we are the mentors. we are setting the bar. what type of bar are we setting for our young people? they are looking at us. it is our responsibility to make it better. thank you. >> let me also thank the members of the legislature to represent this area so well and have their finger on the pulse of this community and represent that so well. leaders beinghese with us. we have been in contact with them and will continue to do that in the coming weeks. i would like to hear from the mayor of the city of st. louis. >> thank you, governor.

michael brown was fatally shot in ferguson this past saturday. friends,ts, family, community, are all in morning. these are facts that are not in dispute. nor is the need for a full, fair, and transparent investigation. nor is the need for justice to be served, or people to be heard. the governor asked me to stand with him, to demonstrate our common agreement on the situation. justice must happen. the greeting must be comforted. the angry must be heard. the innocent must be protected. i agree on the direction that the governor has set. i offered him the experience of two police commanders. both of them are here this afternoon.

they are available to provide advice and support. ronnie will bring a wealth of useful knowledge to the effort. supportainly whatever they can provide. they can help protect people and their rights to assemble peaceably, protect the right to talk about it, to help keep people safe. i want to conclude by of thezing the officers st. louis county police department and ferguson police department. that are officials involved on the streets of ferguson over the past several days. i want to thank you for your service, thank you for respecting your badge of honor for honoring your own and for the service to our community. i hope the decision made by the governor will make your mission clear, safer, and shorter. thank you.

>> we will take some questions. >> [inaudible] >> i think we all have been the vision that the world has seen about this region. i think we are all about making sure that we allow peaceful and appropriate protests, that we use force only when necessary, that we step back a little bit and let some of the energy release in this region. that is only possible if, as indicated by executive duly --

see -- i think you will i don't want to speak for operationally other than to say that i think, while maintaining the peace, allowing more movement, trying to bring in tone of the amplitude of protective force. my sense is that it will have an effect. appreciate-- >> [inaudible] >> we're going to get plenty of questions. of us have seen some level

of escalation. we have seen some level of escalation -- used to deter as well as -- some of the conduct. dim thate need to acceleration, provide an avenue for folks to speak appropriately. but that will allow us to have a better chance of, a better focus on public safety. as the afternoon and evening starts, a little different picture. our hope is that it will begin. we should also note that there will be resources out there, to make sure that people are kept safe. i think the strong front on the four slide -- our hopes would be that we we have the ability to

get a little more peaceful interaction. >> governor, how would you explain the nature of the presence that we saw in the streets yesterday? there were armed personnel, hundred police and military uniform, high-powered rifles -- who is in charge of making those decisions and are they going to be held to account for mistakes that -- tonight was tonight and tomorrow is tomorrow. we have seen acceleration as the intensity on both sides of the equation, and our hope is that this will begin the process of lowering the intensity of both direct interaction and potential the same time expanding opportunities for both to speak out appropriately about login short-term issues. clearly we have struck a nerve. >> it was one-sided yesterday.

a response to a peaceful protest -- the nature of that response, i want to understand how that can happen. who was in charge at that point of making those decisions? >> i am not looking backward, i am looking forward. when we saw the acceleration in that auation, our sense -- shall we say, a softer front might yield an avenue for appropriate energy. hasovernor, the aclu filed an open records request that will contain the name of the officer who shot michael brown. should that be released? >> i don't know the name of the officer. either ofonducting

the investigations. i spent the better part of buying three or -- >> under missouri state law. >> i don't want to get into a debate about what the law is other than to say that i would hope the appropriate release of that name, with security around it if necessary to make sure that there is not additional acts of violence, be done as expeditiously as possible. methods and abilities to do that be anthink it would to get thatlestone, out as expeditiously as possible. >> [inaudible] do want to talk about what your thought processes were? thise have been involved

multidisciplinary team and will continue to be. we are monitoring it very carefully. it is not the first time i have been to some of the churches here or had a chance to speak with elected leaders who are monitoring this very closely. these situations, solutions to be done as locally as possible. you want folks to feel engaged. to get not merely a short-term operational gain, but much more importantly, a long-term trust build. you want to be in a situation in which you want to, at a state level, support folks that are out there, facing tough calls. we have watched it very carefully. point, i feelular the attitudes unwarranted improving -- warranted

improving, and the walks towards expression appeared to be a flashpoint. first,ut some people that would be in a better situation. we are monitoring it closely, and he felt that this was the appropriate time to make this shift. governor, ferguson police department and the st. louis county police department will be providing feet on the ground? will the highway patrol be stepping in with more officers? >> captain johnson will be the lead in the security portion of this. we will have significant resources. they will continue to be part of that multidisciplinary team. toexpect it will continue rely on a joint force in

this area. the patrol will be the lead agency with a comes to security. >> [inaudible] whateverl have the -- is out there. the challenge we face today is whether or not we have enough officers. it is not whether we have enough resources. the challenge we face today is not whether we have shown enough strength on the police side. i think we have shown that. shift tooperational allow more flexibility could to -- ibreathing space should also warn that we are going to protect business owners and families from indiscriminate act or illegal acts. there will be adequate force. i just don't think the size of the force has been the key

stress. people whore several said they were arrested for protesting peacefully yesterday, and they spent the night in jail, some of them 16 hours, and then just-released. my question is, your thoughts on that? will you look into that ? what you hear repeatedly from folks in ferguson is that they are completely dumbfounded by the overwhelming and over-the-top response they saw last night. you try to touch on it, but i don't think you answer that question. >> let's not kid ourselves. it is a difficult zone. a great deal of activity in that region. i think tonight you will see, without going through any operational stuff which is up to the team as they work this morning and tonight, but i think

what you're going to see is a successful attempt to move forward, to move back a little bit. that doesn't mean we are keeping it under control o-- >> what do you say to the underlying concern in the community that there has been a long habit of police harassment in the st. louis county? multiple housing violations, particularly to gain revenue for municipalities that have limited resources, as the economy here in this area has gone down? >> this feels a little like an old wound that has been hit again. the pain you feel is not just from the individual action, it feels like a little bit of a long time simmering.

that is natural for all of us to see and to watch. here golenges we face much more deep and that doesn't show a lack of respect for any of the victims that have suffered so far. is tok the key to this get control, let voices be heard, make sure we protect property, opening up and being more free. ultimately, getting to these problems. deep and existing problems, not only in missouri but in america. this has clearly touched a nerve, and that nerve is not merely from this horrific incident, or any of the interim things. it touches the deeper nerve. focused today on shorter-term things, but ultimately we will be gauged as

to whether or not this was an opportunity used to begin to make some longer-term understanding. ado believe that this touched old wound, deeper nerve, incumbent upon all of us to respect those lost, to make sure justice is served, to make sure we keep order, to allow voices to be heard. when we say voices, that means people listened to. it doesn't just mean people talking. it is not just letting people say their side, it is opening their mouths and your years. -- your ears. sense, a cleart opportunity. >> we have arriving on sunday night as the police stayed back. then they moved in more aggressively. some people say, we haven't had any looting or burning -- are

you prepared if this new keisler, gentler approachy yields more looting or riding? >> we will have adequate resources. but the will involved here are is nosionals -- there doubt if we have enough resources. we will use those resources to friendly, -- differently, calibrated in different orders. we are going to do our best to law, andsh the rule of subsequently expand the trust. >> [inaudible] >> no. i think there is -- i am not involved in the investigative side. you are going to say some

activities occur over the next few weeks that have potential flash points. that is why it is important now to make a shift in this. there is a lot to be done, but there are some checkpoints that are going to be very emotional, that are going to be moments when folks may disagree or agree -- a lot of stuff between here and the finish. two investigations, our goal here is to make sure that operationally and systematically that we are getting peace and we are using this on that front too garner opportunities in the future. >> he talked about trying to heal that wound that has been here for a long time. do you have any specifics you could offer us? >> we are focused on operational -- we would like to see folks feel like they are comfortable and hearing voices, and making sure other people's property and lives are protected. we would like to see the danger

go down. we would like to see the investigations be completed. in a fashion that is transparent and timely. these important acts get out to the public. is important for people to know what happened and how it happened. the sooner we can get to those, that is extremely important. institutions like this -- i do appreciate representatives who had sessions with students in schools, to engage young folks. that is an important part of this process and i hope to be involved in that once we get through this situation. yes, sir. >> [inaudible]

>> absolutely not. what we are doing here -- we have been in the operations center, what we are doing is making a little organizational shift that i think will reflect i respect things - -- the folks that wear the uniforms. i have a lifetime of being involved in law enforcement. they are stressed right now. it has been a difficult couple of weeks. getting this operational shift is something that will give everybody a breath of fresh air. about not -- this is not looking in a rearview mirror. we are trying to keep our eyes focused. >> [inaudible] what are your thoughts about

that? >> we got the justice department and a fine team -- i think -- let's let them do their work. you have got the fbi, the justice department, the fine folks at the st. louis pd -- let them do their jobs. they are doing a lot of work. they are hosteling. -- hustling. they want to get it right and they will. but i don't think at this juncture, until we get the transparency here, it is appropriate. there are folks looking over each other, that is pretty unique anyway. i think that will work because are holder and his team seasoned professionals.

i would not thinking bringing a third lane is going to be helpful at this juncture. >> governor, can you characterize your relationship with the black community and how it has evolved over the past week and shaped your response? >> i appreciate the relationship i have with the -- with so many of my friends. pressures that they have helped me with over the years. not only be fine leaders here but many others. i tremendously appreciate that. i don't think this is a time -- i am going to continue to not use this as a time to divide, or see how loud i can talk, how sharp i can say -- i have got executive challenges here. i think the relationship is good

and professional, and in many ways very personal. i look forward to, you know, the process of the first amendment and democracy -- part of the up forf you are not dealing with critiques of actions you should not seek it. >> if you could speak to his first amendment rights -- could you respond to criticisms you are having in the situation that came in the form of a tweet from maria chapelle? it included a four-letter word. >> uh, good? [laughter] that is not how i

communicate. i tried to put gasoline into the engines when i see them, not on the fires that are existing. >> [inaudible] >> we have tried to. we will have that opportunity soon. i wanted to -- i have been impressed by their calls for peace and justice and i thank them for that. they have been resolute in their recommendation to the communities, that violence is not the answer, and i know they are going through difficult times. we had a chance to get together -- we will get a chance to sit

with them. with what is in front of me right now it is important for me -- this strategic alignment accomplished. i have been more focused today on some of the operational aspects. anybody else? >> [inaudible] about what captain johnson will do different? >> i would ask members of law enforcement, what they are doing and what they will do -- they johnson- captain [inaudible] >> i was wondering, what are you going to do differently tonight? are you still going with armored vehicles and police in body gear? can you give us an overview? >> we are going to go back and assess today.

we are not going to look back in the past. when we talk about boots on the ground, those are my boots. groundon walking to the zero, meeting with the folks there myself tonight. we are going to have a different approach. the approach that we are in this together. that will be the approach we will have tonight. look at our resources and make sure we are not taking resources out there that we don't need. but when we do need those resources they will still be here. keepll reassess, try to things open today . let people speak and hear what they are talking about. not just letting them speak, but listen. we will have a different approach today, and i believe you will see that. before this meeting, we talked last night with the police chief.

those were the plans we had for today. we all went home last night, and before we left we talked about going home and thinking about what we were going to do for today. i can tell you when i got home last night, my wife was out of town and my son wasn't home. before i got into bed, i prayed, i prayed for different morning today. i believe today will be a different day for the community. this afternoon i had a chance to go to high school, to sit down and speak with 25 students. one young lady said in the back with, with tears in her eyes, "i hate to cry." i told her we are going to make a change and make a difference. i told each of the students that if they have an issue, they should call us. i gave the students the address to my office. i told them to write me a letter about how they felt and how it has impacted them. when this is over, i am going to read them to the troopers here.

i got an e-mail on my phone, from the head of security at the school, who said students went back to their class and told their friends that they believe we are going to make a change today, and we are. >> thank you. here, we for being will be a strong team, prepare to move forward and make a difference. i do over being with us. -- thank you all for being with us. nixon's pressnor conference today, congressman william macy clay -- lacy clay, issued a statement, saying --

>> here are some of the highlights for this weekend. friday 8:00, and history to her looking at the civil war. saturday, the communicators and the technology fair on capitol hill. sunday, political commentator and former presidential candidate pat buchanan. 2, books on hillary clinton, barack obama, and edward snowden. saturday, the weekly standard. morning, the literary sites of wyoming. , the negro leagues

kansas city monarchs. saturday, the depiction of slavery in movies. real america, an interview with president herbert hoover. let us know what you think about the programs you are watching. call us or e-mail us. join the c-span conversation. like a fun facebook, follow us us ontter. -- like facebook, follow us on twitter. >> debate on what makes america great, evolution, and genetically modified foods. in-depth spotlight that veterans health care, irs oversight, student loan debt, and campus sexual assault. new perspectives on global warming, voting rights, and food safety. insight and sound from america's historic places. let us know what you think about

the programs you are watching. call us or e-mail us. join the conversation. like us on facebook, follow us on twitter. >> here is a great read at your summer reading list. c-span's latest book, sundays at eight. a collection of stories from some of the most influential people. >> there is always a risk. i decided to take it, because whether it is an illusion or not, i don't think it is -- it held my concentration. it stopped me being bored. stopped other people being boring. awake, to putme longer conversation, to enhance the moment. if i was asked what i do it again -- the answer is probably

yes. hoping to get away with the whole thing. it is easy for me to say. it sounds irresponsible if i say yes. but the truth is it would be hypocritical of me to say no. i did know. >> the soviet union and the soviet system in eastern europe contained the seeds of its own destruction. many of the problems we saw at the end began at the very beginning. i spoke already about the attempt to control all institutions and control all parts of the economy and political life and social life. the only problem is when you do that, when you try to control everything, you create opposition and potential dissidents everywhere. if you tell all artists they have to paint the same way and one artist says no, you have just made him into a political dissident. if you want to subsidize -- >> if you want to subsidize

housing, and the populace agrees, that is something -- we should put it on the sheet and make it clear and make it evident and make everybody aware of how much it is costing. but when you deliver it through these third-party enterprises, fannie mae and freddie mac, when you get subsidies through a public company with private shareholders and executives who can extract a lot of that subsidy for themselves, that is not a very good way of subsidizing homeownership. >> christopher hitchens, and appelbaum, and gretchen morgenstern are a few of the 41 engaging stories on c-span's and sundays at eight, now available at your favorite bookseller. >> coming up, a look at the government and the media. first, a discussion from the national association of black journalists conference. then, from the atlanta press club, the future of news.

later, buzz feed cofounder talks about media startups. now from the national association of black journalists conference, a discussion on the government and the free press. "new york from the times," the associated press, and reuters took artemis hour-long event. -- took part. >> good afternoon, everyone. here to post and moderate the w eb devoid session-- w.e.b. dubois session, 2012 journalist of the year and senior justice correspondent for abc news. he joined in 2000 and reports for summer programs including world news, "good morning america," and "timeline."